Twinky

It's the anniversary of the breaching of the Berlin Wall. The end of an era, really. All the talk in TWI of freedom, democracy, etc. I was in rez at the time. You'd think it was a cause for celebration. I didn't learn it had happened until the December break - I thought I'd misheard, or whoever told me was mistaken. Quite astonishing that this major world event never raised a whisper in an Ohio cornfield.

Uncle Harry Day: Now who'd've thought that VPW could have planned so far ahead? That is funny, Thomas.

Remembrance Day, Vets' Day, or those other things you mention, Rocky: I don't recall TWI respecting any of those days. Could be wrong as to whether they did or not, but I don't remember anything. But then - nobody knows or understands "service" or "serving one's country" quite as well as TWI (bleah, vomit). .

Next stop (at least in the UK): Remembrance Sunday - the nearest Sunday to the 11th day of the 11th month. Commonly called "Poppy Day." Remembrance Day itself is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of First World War on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month." Mostly observed as such in Commonwealth countries. On the Sunday, there will be parades at all UK churches, with Scouts, Guides, etc and the British Legion (ex-service personnel) with flags and wreaths. Prayers and thanks for the dead in action. There's a startling 2-min silence at 11am, broken by a bugler playing the last post. In our village, most of the traffic (at least past the church) also stops (a voluntary action). I think the emphasis is a little different from the US Veterans' Day. It's good to remember and honour the sacrifices of those who have died in honorable combat.

Not only not Halloween. Also, not All Saints' Day (1 November) or All Souls' Day (2 November). Both of these are significant in church calendars. But we can commemorate "Uncle Harry Day" (the anniv of Harry's birthday) and make a big deal of that.

Hey folks. Perhaps some of you can help me. For sure, nothing I can find on the net can help me! I have recently taken over as Administrator for a small team (for want of another description I'll call it BSP) on Facebook. The page is a Private one also called BSP. The person who originally started the page about 2013 no longer has a FB account and is no longer part of the team: having set it up, he departed to pastures new and the page administration has been lacking ever since. As a group, we want to use this FB page more. We are not, never have been and never will be, a business, which so much information seems to relate to. So far, I have managed to make myself Admin, and as such have approved or declined several wannabe members, set up a simple question to deter non-eligible people, and given the page a suitable photo. I would like to be able to deal with the page as BSP rather than in my own name. How can I do that? I would like to invite other members of BSP to join the page/group. But it seems I can only invite my Friends, and none of them are eligible to join the group. How can I, as Administrator or as BSP, invite other people? Or do I have to wait for them to apply to join? I would like to be able to share our page with the parent group. How can I do that? In case it should come to that, can I stop someone else making themselves Admin? (Though to be sure, there's no clamour to be involved.) The FB "how to" says about handling things as Administrator that I should go to Settings, then choose Editor (or some such) - which is kinda difficult if that's not offered! When on the BSP page, whether as myself or when "moderating" the group, I don't see any Editor or Administrator panels or anything on the group page that is different from my personal page. Any suggestions? Any helpful hints gratefully received :)

What TaxiDev said, which is exactly right. I wasn't going to go there; opens too big a discussion for this Any Questions forum. Mods can move, of course, if the thread gets too busy.

Look around you. Do you see people who have been healed? Yes, you do. How many of those "tithe" to TWI? Vanishingly few, if not to say, none. Tithing is another issue and healing is not dependent upon it (even if TWI claimed it was). I'm reminded that Jesus told us to love the lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, not with just 10% of our being. We are to acknowledge him in all our ways, not just some of them. Even so, we have fallible bodies: people (including great Christians) still get sick; all die, eventually. What we do have, as Christians, is the peace of God in our hearts, that will strengthen us through all perils, dangers, evils, sicknesses.

Not a direct answer, but some years ago, the son of a friend/acquaintance decided he was going to go on the SOWERS whatever-it-is (SOWERS is another splinter group). (I think he was in his early 20s at the time.) I was so concerned that I took him out for a coffee and explained at some length the dangers of the parent org (TWI) and the damage it has done to so many. I don't think he was convinced or really took on board what I was saying. However, his visa didn't come through and he never went. I wonder now if he realises that he had a narrow escape? Probably not, but I felt I could not let him go there without warning that it could be detrimental to him. Even if he went, he'd've had a context for some of the behaviors he might well encounter. As well as gently questioning the lad, I'd tell-all to your friend, the vulnerable lad's parent, and ask her to get him to open up to her about whatever he's thinking - especially if he gets to attend the group. Maybe she can go with him and confront, or at least sound out, the leaders? It could be that the leader(s) is/are genuinely trying to help. If so, they won't resent the questioning. Mind you, if he's vulnerable and on disability benefits, he's hardly their long-term prospect, so they might drop him quickly.

Me too, but it's still an experience I'd rather have done without. And especially the years of condemnation and despair afterwards (the lost years). I do feel robbed, of those "lost years."

Me too, but it's still an experience I'd rather have done without. And especially the years of condemnation and despair afterwards (the lost years). I do feel robbed, of those "lost years."

I think we can learn something from everything that happens to us. And those things that happen make us who we are now. If different experiences had happened, then we would be a bit different. My life [and probably everyone else's] has diverged wildly from where I thought it would be at any given point on my "plan." That said, I think I'm ideally placed where I am now to reach out and help others. I like that. I'm happy with that. I don't think that divergence (or indeed the plan) was ever part of God's "plan" but he helps me through the difficulties and problems, and helps me find purpose wherever I am. Generally, I feel fulfilled and a valued member of my community/ies. Having said that, I'd still have liked the loving husband, the several kids, the nice house and dogs and cats and whatever. But. Well. I have the house and the cats. And good friends who love and help me. I would have liked the career I studied hard for over many years (but I still get to use a lot of what I'd learned). I am content to know the peace of God in my heart. That counts for a lot.

Sounds like great fun! Very inventive.

Clearly that's a worship site for you-know-who. It seems to be associated in some way with "Living Tree Academy" in Nashville, TN, and supports children in need in Belize. The books on their "Our e-books" are a motley selection of Tarzan, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Sherlock Holmes - and Walter Cummins's "How to write a research paper." Bizarre! Even more bizarre if, whilst still looking to Wayfer "heroes," some ex-Wayfer(s) actually wanted to help somebody, especially folks in another country. But it might be that the website owner has hooked onto something that it thinks will be a draw for a wider audience. Living Tree Academy 2817 West End Ave, #126-211 Nashville, TN 37203 The goal of LTA is to help every child pursue education. This will enable them to maximize their ability by giving and serving to their family, community, country and the world. Our mission is: Giving access to educational opportunities worldwide.Living Tree Academy helps supply educational materials, scholarships, books, and uniforms for education in Belize as well as community service in the areas of medical and public works. Anyway, I'm "eternally blessed" enough without spending time exploring the website of this worshipper.

Never heard of it before. So clearly, despite VPW's adulation of Martin Luther, celebrating the nailing of the 95 theses didn't hit VPW's radar. Wouldn't surprise me at all if he'd never heard of Reformation Day (or Reformation Sunday).

Likewise,Outie.

Heck, if they were aware, they could use that as justification for plagiarising. All part of the same body, so what belongs to one part belongs to all parts. Therefore, what that person worked out belongs equally to us, and we can pass it off as our own. (I hasten to say I never heard this as an argument by VPW or TWI for plagiarising, but that might be because VPW never acknowledged that he pinched anybody else's work.)

'Course, all this thread presupposes that A&E existed as individuals and not as types or symbols. And also presupposes that the story is true and not a stylised form of storytelling or moralising.

Actually dispensationalism wasn't Bullinger's baby so much as JN Darby's idea (Darby predates Bullinger by a few decades) - Darby was a cultie too, member of the Exclusive Brethren. And his ideas (including "The Rapture" caught on big time in the USA, not so much in the UK. The UK has an "established church" that didn't give much credence to Darby's ideas, but in newly-growing USA, wow, this new idea gave rise to a lot of fanciful new psalms and doctrines. Anyway, this thread is not about dispensationalism, as WW suggests. It's about ideas of "spiritual death" as taught by TWI. The whole idea seems nonsense to me (it did at the time, but hey, I was trying to take on the "right way of thinking" at the time). God is not some thing that is limited by what we think. God can communicate with human beings (and with other creatures) in whatever way he chooses - by putting ideas into one's heart, mind, by physical signs and wonders, by the awesomeness of the skies around us and by what we see in nature. I don't think that God never communicated with A&E again. Perhaps he could not communicate in the previous way, because by now their minds had become cluttered and doubtful of their own ability to perceive - after all, together they had just made the very first and most monumental f-up. If any one of us had (let's be kind) accidentally or without understanding the consequences done something that had caused the death of hundreds or thousands of people, wouldn't we be a little antsy and confused? Hard to talk to? How much worse for them? Would others still communicate with us? Yes. In the same way? Maybe; maybe not; definitely with a lot more caution, I'd think, and they wouldn't necessarily trust us in another similar situation. We do know that A&E had children after "the fall" and they brought up those children (we know of only two, but likely there would be many more) in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We know they made offerings to the Lord. One offering was acceptable, the other not - not because of its content but because of the heart behind the giving. How did A&E know how to bring up children? They'd never seen children before, much less know what their special needs were. So who do you suppose taught them, and how?

Ha ha! I score both WC22 and WC21. Was part of both. Probably affiliate more with WC21. Spent all my time at HQ (what a joy) with just the last 8 or 10 weeks at Gunnison (liked that better, children's camps, a lot more freedom and space to breathe).

That's why we should all endeavour to set a good, Christian, example of how to live, both in and out of churchy settings. To "normalise" decent behaviour, as best we can. We cannot model a better way to live, if we are busy condemning someone else's lifestyle or behaviour. In my (voluntary) work as a Street Pastor, I get to hear many stories from people who have had very bad church experiences. Some of the saddest are from the homosexual community. Many of these males have once had a love for God and know much scripture. But they have been exorcised, ostracised, beaten, pummelled with Bible verses, all sorts of stuff, to try to make them renounce their homosexuality. But I have totally shocked some of them by asking, "Did you know that God loves YOU?" This is one message they never heard in church. I don't know or care what you think about homosexuality (and I'm not telling you my views) - the way some of these people have been treated is very far from Christian. All of us can model kind words and attentive listening. Spouses can model a loving and respectful marriage, where each has a voice: who knows how that might impact the abused woman next to you in the line at the supermarket - or even in church? Parents, discipline children in public gently but firmly setting appropriate limits. Who knows, someone who's only beaten their kids into quietness (or more, those beaten kids) might see a better way. Ministers can show that they respect their congregations by being approachable and listening to concerns - and also by being accountable to church governing bodies (in the UK, to the PCC as well as to the bishop). Bosses can treat employees with respect and appreciation for their skills and abilities, and the benefits they bring to the boss's business. That arrogant TWI "I'm the leader so you must do what I say without question" has absolutely NO place in a decent church environment, and even less in daily life.

Is applause in church esp for a sermon a peculiarly American thing? I don't know anybody who would applaud a sermon. Or the music (aka "worship") group. Nor would it be expected. Goodness me, the rest of the congregation would look at you, if you did such a thing. We Brits are very undemonstrative.

Socks, music is a very good way of thinking how something is a "whole," with scope for improvisation and development. Good post!

It's four weeks now and my wrists still haven't hurt. Very thankful. However, my need for healing remains. I have found a new challenge for God (!). On Friday I was working with a very large hedge clipper, big grunty professional model, very long blade, would easily take a finger off. It can also do some lovely delicate shaping. Nice piece of kit. I have had this equipment for a couple of years and have cut many hedges with it. So how come I wasn't paying attention to it on Friday, and somehow managed, in a completely easy section of hedge, to touch this thing against my leg? It's ripped a hole in my jeans leg, and two or three deep gashes in my left leg just over the knee. (First thought: this needs stitches.) I washed it off as best I could under a cold tap, stuck half a dozen bandaids over the wounds, and carried on. Had a shower when I got home and on inspection decided to take myself to Accident & Emergency(great place to be at 10pm on Friday - actually, it was surprisingly quiet, the drunks obviously arrive later). It was inspected, washed again, and bandaged up. My friend who was with me joined me in prayer for healing and no nasty complications. Changed the dressing yesterday. The two biggest wounds are now healing very very well. I feel inclined to leave the dressing off, but that's probably unwise. Dirty jeans, filthy clipper blade, significant risks for introduction of unhealthy bacteria - and I walk away with a bandaid. Very very thankful. Another time, in this same garden, I slipped out of a tree onto the open blade of my long loppers. Stabbed myself in the wrist. The injury is 1" from the tiny veins and nerves in the wrist, again quite deep, but 1" further over could have been catastrophic. Again, big prayers, and now only the slightest silvery scar. I am not a foolish worker, I'm often alone and need to take care of myself. As a former Personal Injury lawyer, I'm perhaps more aware of risks of injury than many might be. But I still make many mistakes, have minor accidents, and need to rest in God's great grace to cover my own stupidity.

I understood your reply, Lifted Up. People have different styles of responding to things they quote. And sometimes the function doesn't work as well as one might expect. It would be fair to say that everyone who gets to, say, 25, has some baggage to "process." Heck, even by 5 years old, some have already waaaay more than their fair share to have to deal with. Unfortunately, TWI burdened anyone with more than a passing acquaintance, with a lot of unnecessary baggage - guilt, fear, intimidation, abandonment by God, sexual mores shot to pieces, family relationships shattered - they took our vulnerabilities and exploited them; they took our strengths and told us we were relying on our own strength not God's (not even on the abilities that God himself may have given us). No wonder many escapees were confused (at best) and terrified (at worst) when getting away from the place. Oh yes. TWI leaders were very good at "confronting" people (what an aggressive term!) and not at all good when it came to being confronted themselves. They thought God was in their every word and action, or so they'd have the minions believe. Most churches would prefer to "come alongside" someone with a difficulty - whether a difficulty caused by lack of knowledge, or a difficulty from their own wilfully inappropriate behaviour of some sort. We are ALL sinners by nature. And we ALL need grace to extinguish our sins. Real grace and loving kindness, I mean. Not pretend grace to match the often pretend anger and the definitely pretend faults.